All language subtitles for Breakthrough.The.Ideas.That.Changed.the.World..Part.4.The.Car.1080p.HDTV.x264.AAC.MVGroup.org.eng

NARRATOR:
FROM THE EARLIEST OF TIMES,

WE HUMANS HAVE BEEN
DRIVEN TO EXPLORE.

[DOGS BARKING]

THIS INNATE INSTINCT
MOBILIZED HUMANITY...

AND IT CHANGED THE WORLD...

AND IT'S ABOUT
TO TRANSFORM US AGAIN.

THE STORY OF HOW WE GOT HERE IS

FULL OF ASTONISHING TWISTS
AND UNLIKELY TURNS.

[TIRES SQUEAL]

IT WOULD TAKE AN ALLIANCE
WITH A DANGEROUS PREDATOR...

DEVASTATING FLOODS...

A 19th-CENTURY
PUBLICITY STUNT...

AN AVALANCHE OF HORSE MANURE,

EXPLODING CANNONS,

AND A TRIP TO
THE SLAUGHTERHOUSE...

TO GET THE ULTIMATE
FREEDOM MACHINE--

THE CAR.

THESE ARE THE INVENTIONS
THAT HAVE DEFINED OUR AGE

AND CHANGED OUR WORLD FOREVER,

THAT ALLOWED US TO MOVE
BOTH ON THE GROUND

AND IN THE AIR,

TO CONNECT AND TO EXPLORE

THE FURTHEST REGIONS
OF THE UNIVERSE,

EACH A STORY OF INGENUITY,

OF WONDER...

OF BREAKTHROUGH.

NARRATOR: THE FIRST
MODERN HUMANS WALKED OUT

OF AFRICA AROUND
180,000 YEARS AGO.

AND, STEP BY AGONIZING STEP,
THEY MOVED ACROSS THE WORLD.

TODAY, AROUND 1.2 BILLION
AUTOMOBILES TRANSPORT US

FROM PLACE TO PLACE

ON SOME 20 BILLION MILES
OF ROAD.

LANDSCAPES THAT WOULD HAVE
TAKEN OUR ANCESTORS

MANY MONTHS TO CROSS,
WE CAN NOW COVER IN HOURS...

BUT THE CAR IS MUCH MORE THAN
A MEANS OF TRANSPORT.

MAN: I THINK, AS HUMANS, WE'RE
ALWAYS LOOKING TO GET

TO THE OTHER SIDE
OF THE MOUNTAIN,

AND THE QUICKEST WAY
TO GET THERE IS DRIVING.

CARS REPRESENT FREEDOM.

JIM AL-KHALIL:
CARS HAVE BECOME SYMBOLS

THAT DEFINE AN ENTIRE SOCIETY
OR COUNTRY.

MAN 2: WITH THE AUTOMOBILE CAME
A COMPLETE TERRAFORMING

AROUND THIS TECHNOLOGY.

NARRATOR: WHAT'S MORE,

THE CAR IS ON THE CUSP
OF A NEW REVOLUTION;

AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES MAY
SOON REMOVE THE NEED

FOR A DRIVER ALTOGETHER,

MAKING THE CAR
THE ULTIMATE FREEDOM MACHINE

FOR ALL.

MAN 2: AUTOMATED VEHICLES COULD
OFFER EVERYONE MOBILITY,

REGARDLESS OF THEIR ABILITIES
TO ACTUALLY DRIVE A CAR.

NARRATOR: SO HOW DID WE GO
FROM TWO LEGS TO 4 WHEELS?

IT'S A STORY THAT BEGAN
THOUSANDS OF YEARS AGO,

HERE IN THE FROZEN ARCTIC,

WITH A BATTLE FOR SURVIVAL...

AND AN UNLIKELY ALLIANCE
BETWEEN MAN AND BEAST.

WOMAN: I'M AN OSTEOARCHEOLOGIST.

I STUDY SKELETAL REMAINS
TO SEE WHAT THEY CAN TELL US

ABOUT LIFE IN THE PAST.

AND IT'S ANCIENT BONES
THAT HOLD THE CLUE

TO THE FIRST REVOLUTION
IN OVERLAND TRANSPORT.

NARRATOR: THE EARLIEST
EVIDENCE OF HUMANS HERE

DATES BACK 45,000 YEARS.

WITH TEMPERATURES AS COLD
AS -58 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT

AND THE LAND PERMANENTLY
LOCKED UNDER ICE,

EVERY DAY WAS
A BATTLE FOR SURVIVAL

IN THIS KNIFE-EDGED WORLD.

ROBERTS: OUR ANCESTORS
WERE COMPLETELY RELIANT

ON TAKING THE WORLD
AS THEY FOUND IT--

ON WILD PLANTS, WILD ANIMALS.

NARRATOR: REINDEER WERE
A MAJOR SOURCE OF FOOD

AND PROVIDED FUR FOR CLOTHING.

BUT THEY WERE
PERMANENTLY ON THE MOVE,

TRAVELING UP TO 20 MILES A DAY.

THIS PRESENTED A MORTAL PROBLEM

FOR THOSE EARLY ARCTIC SETTLERS.

ROBERTS: OUR EARLY ANCESTORS
COULD ONLY GO AS FAR

AND AS FAST AS THEIR OWN LEGS
WOULD CARRY THEM.

IF THEY WERE TO TRY FOLLOWING
A HERD OF REINDEER,

THEY SIMPLY COULDN'T KEEP UP.

NARRATOR: 300 MILES NORTH
OF MAINLAND RUSSIA,

ON THE BLEAK ZHOKHOV ISLAND,
ARCHAEOLOGISTS RECENTLY

UNCOVERED A 9,000-YEAR-OLD
SETTLEMENT.

IT HOLDS THE CLUE TO HOW

THOSE EARLY HUMANS SURVIVED
IN THE FROZEN NORTH.

AMONG THE EVIDENCE
OF HUMAN ACTIVITY

WERE THE REMAINS OF WHAT
COULD BE MISTAKEN FOR WOLVES.

NARRATOR: BUT THESE WERE NOT
THE BONES OF WILD PREDATORS.

INSTEAD, THESE ANIMALS HAD
DEVELOPED STRIKING ADAPTATIONS.

THEY WERE MUCH LIGHTER
AND STRONGER

THAN THEIR ANCESTOR THE WOLF,

BETTER ADAPTED TO RUN AND PULL.

THEY WERE, IN FACT,
THE BONES OF PRIMITIVE DOGS.

ROBERTS: THE VERY FIRST SPECIES
THAT BECAME TAMED

WAS THE EUROPEAN GREY WOLF,
THE ANCESTOR

OF ALL OF OUR
DOMESTICATED DOGS TODAY.

[DOGS HOWL]

NARRATOR: WHAT'S MORE,
IT'S CLEAR THESE PRIMITIVE DOGS

WERE BEING BRED
FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.

THE FINAL PIECE OF
THE PUZZLE CAME

FROM THE FRAGMENTS
OF SHAPED WOOD.

THESE WERE THE RUNNERS
FROM SLEDS.

WHOO!

ROBERTS: 9,000 YEARS AGO,

THE REINDEER HERDERS
OF ZHOKHOV ISLAND

WERE USING DOG SLEDS.

NARRATOR: THESE ANCIENT PEOPLE
WERE AMONG THE FIRST HUMANS

TO PUT ANIMALS TO WORK,

AND IN DOING SO,

THEY EVOLVED A NEW SUB-SPECIES.

LONG BEFORE THERE WAS HORSE
POWER, THERE WAS DOG POWER.

ROBERTS: IT WAS A REVOLUTIONARY
IDEA THAT WOULD

SPREAD RIGHT ACROSS
THE FROZEN LANDS OF THE NORTH.

NARRATOR: NOW HUMANS COULD
KEEP UP WITH THE REINDEER

AND THRIVE IN ONE OF EARTH'S
MOST HOSTILE ENVIRONMENTS,

STARTING A COOPERATIVE
RELATIONSHIP THAT HAS SHAPED

OUR DESTINY AND THAT
OF OUR FURRY FRIENDS.

ROBERTS: IT'S QUITE
INCREDIBLE TO THINK,

THOUSANDS OF YEARS AGO,
HUMANS HAD HARNESSED

POWERED TRANSPORT FOR
THE VERY FIRST TIME.

NARRATOR: DOGS WERE HUMANKIND'S
FIRST ENGINE...

DOMESTICATED THOUSANDS OF YEARS
BEFORE THE OX AND THE HORSE...

BUT DOG SLEDS HAD
A MAJOR PROBLEM.

UNLESS YOU'RE MOVING
OVER ICE OR SNOW,

THEY'RE PRACTICALLY USELESS.

[CAR HORNS HONKING]

TO MOBILIZE HUMANKIND

WOULD TAKE ONE OF
OUR GREATEST INVENTIONS,

AND NOT JUST THAT,
IT WOULD TAKE THE WHEEL, TOO.

DANNY FORSTER: IT'S FUNNY,
WE THINK OF THE WHEEL

AS A FAIRLY ANCIENT INVENTION.

I HAVE THIS IMAGE OF BARNEY
RUBBLE AND THE FLINTSTONES

ROLLING A STONE WHEEL ACROSS
SOME PREHISTORIC LANDSCAPE.

THAT'S NOT ACTUALLY THE CASE.

THE WHEEL ACTUALLY CAME
RELATIVELY LATE

IN THE GRAND SCHEME
OF HUMAN INNOVATION,

AROUND 3500 OR 4000 BC.

[MEN SHOUTING INDISTINCTLY]

NARRATOR: BEFORE THE WHEEL,

OBJECTS WERE TRANSPORTED
OVER TREE TRUNKS.

AT STONEHENGE, ARCHAEOLOGISTS
RECENTLY DISCOVERED,

WITH THE HELP OF
A FEW DOZEN VOLUNTEERS...

THAT ITS STONE MONOLITHS WERE
PROBABLY TRANSPORTED HERE

ON THE TRUNKS OF SYCAMORE TREES.

THE ANCIENT BRITONS COULD
TRANSPORT THE 22-TON STONES

10 MILES A DAY USING
THIS METHOD.

MAN: STOP!

NARRATOR: AND WE NOW KNOW
THAT OTHER CULTURES

WERE TRANSPORTING HEAVY OBJECTS
USING SIMILAR MEANS.

[SCATTERED CHEERING]

FORSTER: FOR MANY YEARS,
PEOPLE HAD CHOPPED DOWN TREES,

LINED UP LOGS, AND ROLLED
ITEMS ALONG THEM.

IN A SENSE, THAT'S
A FORM OF A WHEEL.

A SORT OF EXTRUDED WHEEL
IS A CYLINDER, RIGHT?

MAN: PULL!

FORSTER: BUT THAT DOESN'T
CHANGE HISTORY.

FOR A WHEEL TO BECOME
PRODUCTIVE, TO CHANGE SOCIETY...

YOU NEED ACCOUTREMENT,
YOU NEED OTHER ELEMENTS

THAT WILL ACTUALLY
MAKE IT OPERATIVE.

NARRATOR: THE STROKE
OF BRILLIANCE THAT GAVE US

WHEELED TRANSPORTATION

WAS NOT SO MUCH THE INVENTION
OF THE WHEEL

AS THE BREAKTHROUGH
THAT ALLOWED US TO CONNECT IT

TO A STATIONARY PLATFORM...

THE AXLE.

FORSTER: THE AXLE ENABLES YOU
TO AFFIX A WHEEL TO A PLATFORM

IN ORDER TO CARRY WEIGHT
AND TRAVEL A DISTANCE.

THE TRICK IS, IN ORDER
TO PRODUCE THOSE TWO THINGS,

YOU HAD TO DO IT PRECISELY
AND ACCURATELY,

OTHERWISE IT DIDN'T WORK.

ROBERT HURFORD:
IF THE AXLE ISN'T ROUND,

AND THE HOLE WHICH THE AXLE
IS SITTING IN ISN'T ROUND,

THEN IT WILL JAM
AT CERTAIN POINTS.

[WOOD CRACKING]

IF YOU MAKE THE AXLE TOO BIG,
THEN THE WHOLE THING

RUNS A RISK OF JAMMING SOLID.

AND IF THE GAP BETWEEN THE AXLE

AND THE INSIDE
OF THE WHEEL IS TOO BIG,

THEN THE WHEEL WILL
WOBBLE ABOUT.

AND IN AN EXTREME CASE,
IT COULD LEAD

TO THE THING KNOCKING
ITSELF TO PIECES.

FORSTER: AND YOU CANNOT ACHIEVE
THAT LEVEL OF PRECISION

WITHOUT METAL.

NARRATOR:
AROUND 7,000 YEARS AGO,

THE MESOPOTAMIANS DISCOVERED

THAT CERTAIN ROCKS
CONTAINED METALS.

BY 3,000 YEARS AGO,
THEY HAD WORKED OUT HOW

TO EXTRACT THE METAL
BY A PROCESS CALLED SMELTING

AND DISCOVERED THAT BY
COMBINING TWO METALS--

COPPER AND TIN--
THEY COULD MAKE

A MUCH STRONGER ALLOY
CALLED BRONZE.

THIS GAVE US OUR FIRST
PRECISION TOOL.

IT MAY NOT LOOK
STATE-OF-THE-ART TODAY,

BUT THIS EARLY BRONZE CHISEL
WAS, FOR ITS TIME,

ONE OF THE MOST ADVANCED PIECES
OF TECHNOLOGY

HUMANS HAD EVER MADE.

DURABLE AND SHARP, IT WAS
THE BRONZE CHISEL THAT

ULTIMATELY MADE THE CIRCULAR
WHEEL-AND-AXLE POSSIBLE,

AND TOGETHER, THEY
MOBILIZED HUMANKIND.

FORSTER: THE WHEEL
AND THE AXLE CHANGED THE GAME,

'CAUSE YOU CAN NOW
MOVE MORE ITEMS

OVER LONGER DISTANCES
WITH LESS EFFORT.

NARRATOR: THE WHEEL-AND-AXLE'S
INVENTION COINCIDED

WITH THE DOMESTICATION
OF THE HORSE AND OX.

FOR THE FIRST TIME,
ORDINARY PEOPLE COULD TRAVEL

OUTSIDE THEIR SETTLEMENTS, AND
IT TRIGGERED SOCIAL REVOLUTION

ACROSS THE ANCIENT WORLD.

FORSTER: IT'S ABOUT CONNECTIONS,
IT'S ABOUT NETWORKS.

YOU CAN MEET PEOPLE
WHO ARE PRODUCING ITEMS,

PEOPLE WHO ARE GROWING ITEMS,
PEOPLE WHO ARE THINKING PEOPLE,

WHO ARE CREATING AND SO FORTH,
AND IT'S THAT INTERACTION

THAT CREATES THE INNOVATIONS
THAT WE HAVE TODAY.

NARRATOR: IT EVEN
SPREAD LANGUAGE.

ALMOST ALL EUROPEAN
AND ASIAN LANGUAGES DERIVE

FROM PROTO-INDO-EUROPEAN--
THE LANGUAGE SPOKEN

IN CENTRAL EUROPE BY
THE WHEEL-AND-AXLE'S INVENTORS.

THAT IS HOW THE AXLE TOOK THE
WHEEL AND TRANSFORMED HISTORY.

NARRATOR: HORSE-POWERED VEHICLES
DOMINATED TRANSPORTATION

FOR THE NEXT 5,000 YEARS.

IT TOOK DEVASTATING FLOODS
AND A BAPTIST PREACHER

TO TAKE THE NEXT STEP
IN THE STORY OF THE CAR.

IN EARLY 18th-CENTURY BRITAIN,

A WAVE OF NEW INNOVATIONS
TRANSFORMED THE LIVES

OF EVERYDAY FOLK.

MINES WERE DUG DEEP
BENEATH THE GROUND

TO SATISFY THE GROWING
DEMAND FOR COAL,

COPPER, AND TIN.

BUT AN OBSTACLE GOT IN
THE WAY OF PROGRESS...

WATER.

AL-KHALIL: WATER WAS
A CONSTANT ENEMY UNDERGROUND,

AND THE DEEPER YOU WENT,
THE GREATER THE CHALLENGE.

HAND PUMPS COULD ONLY RAISE
WATER A FEW FEET,

AND SO THE DEEPER THEY MINED,

THE MORE MEN THEY NEEDED,
THE MORE PUMPS THEY NEEDED.

NARRATOR: FOR EVERY MINE,

HUNDREDS OF MEN WORKED
AROUND THE CLOCK

TO STEM THE FLOOD,

BUT IT WAS A LOSING BATTLE.

AL-KHALIL: AND AT SOME POINT,
THEY REACHED A DEPTH

WHEREBY IT BECAME JUST
UNECONOMICAL TO DIG ANY DEEPER.

NARRATOR: MINES CLOSED,

OTHERS COLLAPSED,
COSTING THE LIVES

OF COUNTLESS MEN.

WITH MILLIONS
NOW DEPENDENT ON COAL

FOR HEATING ALONE,
IT TRIGGERED A NATIONAL CRISIS,

AND IT SPARKED THE INTEREST
OF AN UNLIKELY HERO.

AL-KHALIL: THERE WAS FAME
AND FORTUNE TO BE HAD

FOR ANY INVENTOR
WHO COULD BUILD A MACHINE

THAT COULD EFFICIENTLY
PUMP WATER.

NARRATOR: THOMAS NEWCOMEN WAS
A BAPTIST LAY PREACHER

AND A BLACKSMITH.

HE PROCLAIMED THAT VIRTUE CAME

THROUGH HARD WORK
AND ENTERPRISE.

FAITH, HE BELIEVED, WOULD SOLVE
THE PROBLEM OF FLOODING.

BUT WITH A FORTUNE TO BE MADE,

NEWCOMEN COULDN'T LEAVE
THE SOLUTION TO GOD ALONE.

HE BEGAN BUILDING PARTS
OF WHAT HE BELIEVED WOULD BE

A REVOLUTIONARY MACHINE,

AN ENGINE THAT HARNESSED
A NEW TYPE OF POWER...

[HISS]

STEAM.

THIS IS WHAT HE CAME UP WITH--

A 20-TON, 31-FEET-TALL
ROCKING BEAM

WITH CHAINS ON EITHER END.

THE CHAINS TO ONE SIDE
EXTENDED DOWN THE MINE

TO A PUMP AT ITS BASE.

THE CHAINS ON THE OTHER SIDE
ATTACHED TO A PISTON

THAT DREW STEAM FROM A VAT OF
BOILING WATER INTO A CYLINDER.

THE STEAM COOLED AND CONDENSED,

CREATING A VACUUM
INSIDE THE CYLINDER

THAT PULLED THE PISTON DOWN.

THIS RAISED THE OTHER END
OF THE BEAM

AND OPERATED THE PUMP
AT THE END OF THE CHAIN...

ONLY NEWCOMEN'S ENGINE
DIDN'T WORK VERY WELL.

THE STEAM CONDENSED TOO SLOWLY
TO EFFECTIVELY POWER THE PUMP,

SO HE ATTACHED A COLD-WATER
JACKET AROUND THE CYLINDER

TO CONDENSE THE STEAM FASTER,
BUT THAT DIDN'T WORK, EITHER,

UNTIL FATE INTERVENED.

DURING ONE TEST, A JOINT CRACKED
IN THE CYLINDER,

AND COLD WATER FROM
THE OUTER CASING FLOODED IN.

IT TRIGGERED A POWERFUL
AND INSTANTANEOUS VACUUM,

AND IT DESTROYED
NEWCOMEN'S MACHINE.

[EXPLOSION]

BUT IT GAVE HIM
HIS BREAKTHROUGH.

HE REBUILT HIS ENGINE,
ADDING A VALVE

THAT INJECTED COLD WATER
DIRECTLY INTO THE CYLINDER

EACH TIME IT FILLED WITH STEAM.

THIS PRODUCED A POWERFUL VACUUM,

INCREASING THE ENGINE'S SPEED
EXPONENTIALLY.

NEWCOMEN HAD CREATED THE FIRST
SUCCESSFUL STEAM-POWERED ENGINE.

WITHOUT FEAR OF FLOODING,
MINES SOON EXTENDED

MUCH DEEPER BENEATH THE EARTH,

AND PRODUCTIVITY
INCREASED DRAMATICALLY,

BUT NEWCOMEN'S MACHINE REQUIRED
SO MUCH COAL TO MAKE IT RUN,

IT WAS ONLY REALLY PRACTICAL
NEAR A MINE.

NONETHELESS, PEOPLE SOON
BEGAN TO IMAGINE A WORLD

POWERED BY SIMILAR
ARTIFICIAL MACHINES,

PERHAPS EVEN MACHINES
THAT COULD TRANSPORT US.

BUT IF THAT DREAM WAS
EVER TO BECOME A REALITY...

WE NEEDED MUCH MORE EFFICIENT
AND SMALLER ENGINES...

AND THAT MEANT OVERCOMING
ANOTHER SIGNIFICANT HURDLE.

AL-KHALIL: BURNING
THE FUEL WAS EASY,

HEATING THE WATER WAS EASY,
MAKING STEAM--EVEN TRANSPORTING

THE STEAM THROUGH PIPES--
WAS EASY, BUT BUILDING A PISTON

THAT FITS SO PRECISELY
WITHIN A CYLINDER

THAT COULD CONTAIN THAT STEAM
UNDER HIGH PRESSURE

WAS REALLY TRICKY
FOR 18th-CENTURY ENGINEERS.

IF THE PISTON WASN'T PERFECTLY
MATCHED TO THE CYLINDER,

THEN STEAM WOULD
LEAK OUT, AND WITH IT,

THE POWER OF THE ENGINE.

NARRATOR: TO MANUFACTURE
A PISTON AND CYLINDER SO PRECISE

THAT IT COULD ONE DAY
POWER A CAR

WOULD TAKE A SUNDAY STROLL
ON GLASGOW GREEN

AND EXPLODING CANNONS.

[PATRIOTIC MUSIC PLAYING]

[CANNONS FIRING]

♪

IN 1774,

BRITAIN'S ROYAL NAVY FACED
A MAJOR INCONVENIENCE.

THEIR CANNONS KEPT BACKFIRING,

AND THEY WERE LOSING
COUNTLESS MEN.

AT THE TIME, IRON CANNONS
WERE CAST AROUND A MOLD.

ANY INCONSISTENCIES
IN THE MOLD CREATED DEVIATIONS

INSIDE THE MUZZLE, AND THIS
CAUSED THE CANNONBALL

TO JAM AND EXPLODE.

[EXPLOSION]

ENTER INDUSTRIALIST
JOHN "IRON-MAD" WILKINSON.

WILKINSON REALIZED
THE SOLUTION WAS

TO CREATE A PERFECTLY
CYLINDRICAL MUZZLE...

AND THIS WAS HIS ANSWER--
A HORSE-POWERED BORING MACHINE.

IT SPUN THE CANNON BARREL
ONTO A FIXED BORING BAR.

THE RESULT--
A SMOOTH MUZZLE

AND THE MOST ACCURATE
CANNONS EVER MADE.

♪

IT WAS A HUGE HIT
WITH THE ROYAL NAVY,

WHOSE CANNONBALLS WERE SOON
SMASHING INTO FRENCH SHIPS.

BUT IT WOULD MAKE AN EVEN BIGGER
SPLASH WHEN IT CAME

TO THE ATTENTION OF A RECLUSIVE
SCOTTISH INSTRUMENT MAKER

AT GLASGOW UNIVERSITY.

ONE MAY SUNDAY IN 1765,

JAMES WATT,
A SELF-TAUGHT INVENTOR

AND POLYMATH,
WAS TAKING A STROLL

ACROSS GLASGOW GREEN
TO CLEAR HIS MIND.

[BIRDS CHIRPING]

WATT HAD BEEN GIVEN
THE UNIVERSITY'S

MODEL NEWCOMEN ENGINE TO REPAIR.

HE HAD BECOME FIXATED BY
ITS CYLINDER-AND-PISTON SYSTEM,

WHICH COOLED THE CYLINDER
ON EVERY CYCLE

AS THE STEAM CONDENSED.

[HISS]

BUT ON THAT SUNDAY MORNING,

WATT SUDDENLY HAD
A BREAKTHROUGH.

HE IMAGINED A SEPARATE VESSEL,

ATTACHED TO THE CYLINDER,
THAT WAS KEPT COOL.

HE CALLED IT A CONDENSER.

IF A VALVE WAS OPENED
WHEN THE CYLINDER WAS FULL

OF HOT STEAM, THE CONDENSER
WOULD COOL THE STEAM

MUCH MORE RAPIDLY, CREATING
A POWERFUL VACUUM

THAT WOULD SUCK THE STEAM
OUT OF THE CYLINDER

WITHOUT COOLING
THE CYLINDER ITSELF.

AND, HEARING ABOUT
THE BREAKTHROUGH

IN THE ROYAL NAVY'S CANNONS,
HE HIRED IRON-MAD WILKINSON

TO BORE HIM THE WORLD'S FIRST
PRECISION CYLINDERS AND PISTONS.

AL-KHALIL: AN ENGINE
THAT MINIMIZES STEAM LEAKAGE IS

MORE EFFICIENT, IT USES LESS
FUEL, AND CAN WORK HARDER.

NARRATOR: BUT WATT HAD
ANOTHER BIG IDEA.

AL-KHALIL: INSTEAD OF USING
A PISTON AND CYLINDER

TO DRIVE A BEAM,

HE FOUND A WAY OF MAKING IT
TURN A WHEEL.

NARRATOR: WATT'S BREAKTHROUGH
MADE STEAM A VIABLE SOURCE

OF POWER; NOW MACHINES
COULD BE BUILT ANYWHERE

AND EXPLOIT ENERGY-DENSE
FOSSIL FUELS LIKE COAL.

IT MADE HIM VERY RICH,
AND IT TRIGGERED ONE

OF THE BIGGEST BREAKTHROUGHS
IN THE HISTORY OF HUMANKIND,

THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION.

FOR THE FIRST TIME, MACHINES
HAD FAR GREATER MUSCLE POWER

THAN ANIMALS OR MEN
COULD MUSTER,

AND FACTORIES BEGAN
POPPING UP EVERYWHERE.

STEAM-POWERED ENGINES MOVED
PEOPLE AND RESOURCES

INTO CITIES
AND TRANSPORTED GOODS OUT...

ALL THANKS TO STEAM-POWERED
PRECISION MACHINES

THAT COULD TURN WHEELS.

AND IT'S THIS SETUP THAT'S
BEEN AT THE HEART

OF ALMOST EVERY CAR BUILT
IN THE LAST CENTURY.

NARRATOR: BUT STEAM HAD
ONE HUGE DRAWBACK

WHEN IT COMES
TO THE STORY OF THE CAR.

AL-KHALIL: THE STEAM ENGINE
WAS SO BIG AND CUMBERSOME

AND USED SO MUCH FUEL
THAT IT COULD REALLY

ONLY BE USED IN RAILWAYS.

[WHISTLE BLOWS]

NARRATOR: PEOPLE STILL
HAD TO RELY ON OLD-FASHIONED

HORSE-POWER TO ULTIMATELY GET
TO WHERE THEY WERE GOING,

UNTIL ONE WOMAN SET OUT
WITH HER TWO SONS

TO VISIT HER MOTHER.

IN 1886, GERMAN INVENTOR
AND ENGINEER KARL BENZ

HAD HIS PATENT ACCEPTED
FOR WHAT IS REGARDED

AS THE WORLD'S FIRST AUTOMOBILE.

BENZ HAD HIT ON THE IDEA
OF INCORPORATING A NEW

AND INNOVATIVE ENGINE THAT HAD
JUST LAUNCHED ONTO THE MARKET.

IT USED THE SAME PRINCIPLE
OF PISTON AND FLYWHEEL

THAT JAMES WATT HAD DEVELOPED,

BUT WAS MUCH, MUCH SMALLER.

INSTEAD OF BURNING COAL
TO TURN WATER INTO STEAM

IN A BOILER, WHICH THEN PUSHED
A PISTON INSIDE A CYLINDER...

THE INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE

IGNITED A PETROLEUM-BASED FUEL

INSIDE THE CYLINDER ITSELF.

THE MOTORWAGEN, AS IT WAS
CALLED, RAN BEAUTIFULLY,

BUT THERE WAS A FUNDAMENTAL
OBSTACLE BLOCKING ITS SUCCESS.

FOR IT TO BECOME A VIABLE MODE
OF TRANSPORTATION,

IT REQUIRED INFRASTRUCTURE,

BUT GARAGES AND GAS STATIONS
HADN'T BEEN INVENTED YET.

THE INFRASTRUCTURE
WAS ALREADY IN PLACE

TO SERVICE THE HORSE AND CART,

AND IT COULD TRAVEL 60 MILES
A DAY COMFORTABLY,

SO THE MOTORWAGEN WAS VIEWED
AS NOTHING MORE THAN A NOVELTY,

AND FOR TWO YEARS,
POOR KARL BENZ

DIDN'T HAVE THE CONFIDENCE
TO SELL A SINGLE MACHINE.

FACING FINANCIAL RUIN,
KARL PLUNGED INTO DEPRESSION.

WOMAN: HIS SKILL WAS
ENGINEERING, BUT NOT SO MUCH

MARKETING, AND WE CAN SEE THAT
VERY OFTEN,

THAT IF YOU ARE A FANTASTIC
ENGINEER, YOU ARE SO MUCH

IN THE DETAIL OF THIS MECHANIC
THAT YOU FORGET THE REST AROUND.

NARRATOR: THANKFULLY
FOR HUMANITY,

ONE PERSON SAW GREAT POTENTIAL
IN THE MOTORWAGEN,

SOMEONE WHO ALSO KNEW HOW TO
GENERATE A BIT OF PUBLICITY...

KARL'S WIFE, BERTHA.

EARLY IN THE MORNING
OF AUGUST 5, 1888,

WHILE KARL WAS SOUND ASLEEP,

BERTHA ROUSED THEIR TWO SONS,

LEFT A NOTE
ON THE KITCHEN TABLE,

AND QUIETLY PUSHED THE CAR
A SAFE DISTANCE FROM THE HOUSE

SO NOT TO WAKE HER HUSBAND.

BERTHA HAD DECIDED
TO VISIT HER PARENTS

IN PFORZHEIM,

A 66-MILE JOURNEY,

FURTHER THAN WAS
COMFORTABLY POSSIBLE

BY HORSE AND CART IN A DAY.

BERTHA AND HER SONS
WERE PLANNING TO TRAVEL

THE WHOLE WAY
IN AN UNTESTED VEHICLE,

WITHOUT A MAP,
ON COUNTRY TRACKS.

KLEINSCHMIDT: I HAVE TO SEE
IF THERE IS PETROL.

OH, YEAH. LOOKS GOOD.

NARRATOR: IT'S CERTAINLY
MORE DIFFICULT

TO GET MOVING THAN A HORSE.

KLEINSCHMIDT: I'M A BIT
AFRAID, BUT--NO CHANCE--
I HAVE TO TRY IT.

I CAN SEE THAT YOU HAVE
TO PUMP IT FIRST A BIT

LIKE ON A MOTORBIKE.

OK.

NOW WE SWITCH ON THE IGNITION.

BIG MOMENT IS COMING UP.

YEAH!

[ENGINE SPUTTERS]

GO, GO, GO, GO, GO!
CLOSE. HA HA HA HA!

1, 2, 3!

[CLANKING]

YEAH! HA HA HA! GREAT!

NARRATOR: KARL BENZ
NEVER THOUGHT HIS CAR

WOULD TRAVEL FURTHER
THAN ACROSS TOWN.

HE HADN'T CONSIDERED
THAT IT COULD BE USED

OVER LONG DISTANCES

OR THAT IT WOULD BE
DRIVEN BY A WOMAN.

AND WITH THAT IMAGE
SURELY IN HER MIND,

BERTHA SET OFF.

KLEINSCHMIDT: IMAGINE YOU
HAVE REALLY NO MAP,

YOU HAVE NO ROAD SIGNS.

THERE WAS NO TARMAC ROAD.

IT WAS ALL OFF-ROAD.

THERE WAS A LOT
OF OBSTACLES TO GO OVER,

AND THERE WAS A BIG CHANCE
THAT SHE FAIL.

I REALLY RELATE TO BERTHA A LOT.

WHEN I DID MY FIRST DAKAR RALLY,
IT WAS A BIT THE SAME.

NOT REALLY GOOD-EQUIPPED
AND NO GPS...

NO MAPS...

JUST DOING IT,

AND THAT'S WHAT SHE WAS DOING.

NARRATOR: BUT BERTHA FACED
AN EVEN GREATER CHALLENGE.

WITH NO GAS STATIONS,
SHE HAD TO STOP REGULARLY

TO FILL THE CAR'S TINY TANK
WITH A PETROLEUM-BASED SOLVENT

THAT SHE'D PURCHASED
FROM PHARMACIES EN ROUTE.

THE ENGINE OFTEN OVERHEATED,
SO BERTHA COOLED IT

WITH WATER FROM DITCHES
AND STREAMS.

AND THE CAR ONLY HAD TWO GEARS,
SO WHEN IT CAME TO HILLS,

BERTHA AND HER BOYS HAD
TO GET OFF AND PUSH.

AND ONCE OVER THE SUMMIT,
THE JOURNEY DOWNHILL

WAS TERRIFYING.

KLEINSCHMIDT:
THE BRAKING IS NOT THE SAME.
YOU HAVE TO THINK AHEAD.

YEAH, SO YOU CANNOT,
UH, BRAKE

IN THE LAST MOMENT
LIKE WE MAYBE DO TODAY.

NARRATOR: THE HAND-OPERATED SHOE
BRAKE WAS A STRUGGLE TO USE, AND

BERTHA LEARNED THAT CONTROLLING
THE SPEED WAS ESSENTIAL.

KLEINSCHMIDT: I CAN SEE HOW
DIFFICULT IT WAS TO DRIVE

THE CAR BECAUSE YOU HAD
ONLY 3 WHEELS,

AND IF YOU WOULD TURN IT
MAYBE A BIT TOO MUCH,

IT CAN FLIP VERY EASILY.

NARRATOR: TO GAIN CONTROL OF
THE CAR, BERTHA PAID A COBBLER

TO COVER THE BRAKE SHOES
WITH LEATHER...

AND IN DOING SO, SHE INVENTED
THE WORLD'S FIRST BRAKE PADS.

KLEINSCHMIDT: YEAH!

NARRATOR: INEVITABLY,
THE MOTORWAGEN BROKE DOWN

FROM TIME TO TIME.

WHEN A FUEL LINE BECAME BLOCKED,

BERTHA FIXED IT BY JABBING
HER HATPIN INTO THE PIPE.

WHEN AN EXPOSED IGNITION WIRE
NEEDED INSULATING,

SHE USED ONE OF HER GARTERS.

KLEINSCHMIDT: I'M SURE
SHE WAS LOOKING LIKE ME,

COMPLETELY DIRTY IN THE FACE
AND ALL THE CLOTHES IS BLACK

AND FULL OF DUST,
BUT I THINK THEY DIDN'T CARE.

THEY JUST DID IT.
HA HA HA HA!

NARRATOR: WITH THE LIGHT FADING,

BERTHA FINALLY APPROACHED
HER PARENTS' HOME.

THE MOTORWAGEN HAD COMPLETED

ITS FIRST LONG-DISTANCE JOURNEY.

BERTHA HAD COVERED 66 MILES
IN AROUND 12 HOURS,

A FEAT THAT WAS HARD TO MATCH
WITH A HORSE AND CART.

SHE HAD PROVED THAT YOU DON'T
NEED A HORSE AND CART

TO TRAVEL LONG DISTANCES.

THE MOTORWAGEN WAS
A VIABLE ALTERNATIVE.

AND SOMETHING ELSE HAD HAPPENED,

SOMETHING THAT BERTHA BENZ
HAD HOPED FOR--

NEWS OF A WOMAN TRAVELING
THROUGH THE LANES

MILES FROM TOWN IN A MOTORCAR
HAD SPREAD QUICKLY.

NEWSPAPERS HEADLINED THE STORY.

EVERYONE WAS TALKING
ABOUT THE MOTORWAGEN,

A REMARKABLE NEW INVENTION--
THE AUTOMOBILE.

KLEINSCHMIDT: THEY UNDERSTOOD,
"WOW, THIS IS SOMETHING.

WE CAN TRAVEL WITH
THIS KIND OF MOTORWAGEN."

SO IT WAS A HUGE,
HUGE STEP FORWARD

FOR THE AUTOMOBILE INDUSTRY.

NARRATOR: BERTHA BENZ,
PERHAPS THE LAST PERSON

TO STILL BELIEVE
IN HER HUSBAND'S INVENTION,

HAD STAGED THE WORLD'S
FIRST LONG-DISTANCE TEST DRIVE

AND THE FIRST
MOTOR PUBLICITY STUNT.

AND SHE'D MADE
SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS

TO THE MOTORWAGEN
IN THE PROCESS.

BERTHA HAD TRANSFORMED THE CAR
FROM A NOVELTY MACHINE

INTO SOMETHING PEOPLE WANTED.

KLEINSCHMIDT: THIS JOURNEY
CHANGED THEIR LIFE,

AND THIS JOURNEY CHANGED
OUR FUTURE.

NARRATOR: BEFORE LONG,
NUMEROUS MAKES OF AUTOMOBILES

WERE ON THE MARKET, AND THEY
BECAME A MUST-HAVE PLAY-THING

FOR THE RICH AND FAMOUS.

BUT NOT ALL MANUFACTURERS
AGREED WITH BENZ'S CHOICE

OF THE INTERNAL
COMBUSTION ENGINE.

TELEVISION PERSONALITY
AND CAR ENTHUSIAST JAY LENO

HAS ONE OF THE MOST EXTENSIVE

AUTOMOBILE COLLECTIONS
IN AMERICA.

IT'S A RARE CHANCE TO SEE SOME

OF THESE EARLY MACHINES
IN ACTION.

AND THIS GETS
ABOUT...

A MILE PER GALLON
OF WATER.

NARRATOR: BY NOW, STEAM-POWERED

ENGINES WERE SMALLER,
AND IN A WORLD

WITHOUT GAS STATIONS,
THEY MADE A GOOD DEAL OF SENSE.

MAN: IN ORDER TO GET A STEAM CAR
TO RUN, YOU NEEDED WATER.

THAT WAS READILY AVAILABLE.

WHAT I'M DOING NOW,

I'M PUSHING FUEL INTO
THE MOTOR TO GET IT HOT.

CHRIS GERDES:
YOU ALSO NEEDED FUEL,

BUT THAT FUEL COULD BE
VERY FLEXIBLE.

IF YOU HAD GASOLINE,
USE GASOLINE.

IF YOU HAD
KEROSENE, USE KEROSENE.

LENO: I USE GASOLINE BECAUSE
IT'S THE MOST READILY AVAILABLE.

NARRATOR: BUT STEAM-POWERED
CARS ALSO HAD

SOME SIGNIFICANT DRAWBACKS.

LIKE IF YOUR WIFE'S
HAVING A BABY,

YOU GOT TO GET
TO THE HOSPITAL,

THIS IS NOT THE CAR TO TAKE.

HA HA HA!

[HORN BLOWS TWICE]

GERDES: STEAM ACTUALLY CAME
FROM APPLICATIONS

LIKE FACTORIES AND LOCOMOTIVES,
WHERE YOU COULD HAVE

THE STEAM ENGINE OPERATING
IN EXACTLY THE SAME CONDITION

FOR LONG PERIODS OF TIME,
AND THAT'S A VERY EFFICIENT WAY

TO RUN A SYSTEM, BUT THAT'S
REALLY NOT WHAT A VEHICLE NEEDS.

FUN WITH STEAM.
YEAH.

GERDES: IN A CAR, YOU WANT
TO BE ABLE TO COME TO A STOP,

YOU WANT TO BE ABLE
TO START QUICKLY.

AND SO WE GOT FIRE,
SO WE'RE OK.

GERDES: AND NONE
OF THESE THINGS ARE REALLY

INHERENTLY ADVANTAGES OF STEAM.

YOU'RE NOT ONLY A DRIVER,
YOU ARE A POWER-PLANT OPERATOR.

SO IF YOU BOUGHT ONE OF
THESE BACK IN THE DAY,

YOU'D HAVE TO BE
PREPARED TO DO

THIS KIND OF WORK
FROM TIME TO TIME.

UH, YEAH.
OH, ALL THE TIME.

HERE WE GO.

NARRATOR: BUT WHILE STEAM
WASN'T EASY,

THERE WAS A FUEL THAT WAS.

GERDES: SO THIS LOOKS
PRETTY EASY TO DRIVE.

OH IT'S VERY
SIMPLE TO DRIVE.

NARRATOR: IN 1900,
1/3 OF ALL THE CARS

WERE POWERED BY ELECTRICITY.

TOP SPEED IS ABOUT
23 MILES AN HOUR,

WHICH SEEMS
INCREDIBLY SLOW, BUT

IT WAS FASTER THAN A
HORSE AND CARRIAGE.

THEY WERE MARKETED
PRIMARILY

AS A WOMAN'S CAR
BECAUSE YOU DIDN'T

HAVE TO CRANK IT,
THERE WAS NO SMOKE,

THERE WAS NO LOUD BANG,
IT DIDN'T BACKFIRE.

IT WAS EASY TO DRIVE.
WOMEN LIKED IT.

NARRATOR: FOR WEALTHY OWNERS,
TRAVELING OCCASIONALLY

OVER SHORT DISTANCES, CARS
LIKE THIS BAKER ELECTRIC WERE

A GREAT ALTERNATIVE TO
THE HORSE AND CARRIAGE,

BUT THEY WERE LESS
OF A THREAT

TO THE MORE WORKADAY
HORSE AND CART.

GERDES: ELECTRIC VEHICLES FACED

SOME VERY SIGNIFICANT
ENGINEERING CHALLENGES.

ELECTRICITY WAS NOT
WIDELY AVAILABLE;

WHERE IT WAS AVAILABLE,
IT WOULD TAKE A LONG TIME

TO CHARGE THE BATTERIES,
AND THE BATTERIES THEMSELVES

COULD ONLY HOLD
A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF CHARGE,

SO THE RANGE OF
THESE VEHICLES WAS VERY LIMITED.

NARRATOR: BELIEVING
THAT ELECTRICITY WAS

A BETTER TECHNOLOGY TO POWER
CARS, THOMAS EDISON SET OUT

TO MAKE LONG-DISTANCE
ELECTRIC CARS VIABLE.

IN 1901,

HE INVENTED
A NICKEL IRON BATTERY

THAT COULD POWER A CAR
FOR 100 MILES,

BUT IT COST $500
TO MANUFACTURE--

$10,000 IN TODAY'S MONEY.

UNABLE TO FIND A WAY
TO LOWER THE PRICE,

EDISON EVENTUALLY
GAVE UP ON THE IDEA.

ELECTRIC CARS WOULD HAVE
TO WAIT ANOTHER HUNDRED YEARS.

IN THE EARLY 20th CENTURY,

THE INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE
WAS ABOUT TO CHANGE THE WORLD...

THANKS PARTLY TO THE INSIGHT
OF A FORMER EDISON EMPLOYEE

AND A WHOLE LOT OF HORSE MANURE.

TOWARDS THE END
OF THE 19th CENTURY, NEW YORK

WAS THE FASTEST-GROWING CITY
ON EARTH.

FORSTER: THE RATE OF
URBANIZATION OF NEW YORK CITY

DURING THE TURN OF THE CENTURY
WAS SHOCKING.

THEY WENT FROM 60,000 RESIDENTS

TO 3.5 MILLION RESIDENTS

IN UNDER A HUNDRED YEARS.

UP UNTIL THAT POINT,
NO CITY IN HUMAN HISTORY

HAD URBANIZED THAT QUICKLY.

YOU'VE GOT SKYSCRAPERS BEING
BUILT, YOU'VE GOT IMMIGRANTS

COMING OVER FROM EUROPE, YOU'VE
GOT NEW YORK CITY TRANSFORMING,

AND THIS MASSIVE RISE
IN THE HUMAN POPULATION

ALSO BROUGHT WITH IT
A MASSIVE RISE...

IN THE HORSE POPULATION.

NARRATOR: BY THE 1890s,

NEW YORK WAS HOME
TO SOME 200,000 HORSES,

TRANSPORTING OVER
A MILLION INHABITANTS

AND THOUSANDS OF TONS
OF PRODUCE DAILY.

BUT THE HORSES DEPOSITED
60,000 GALLONS OF URINE

AND 2.5 MILLION POUNDS
OF MANURE

ONTO NEW YORK STREETS EACH DAY.

ROADS BECAME BLOCKED,

VACANT LOTS FILLED
WITH MOUNTAINS OF MANURE

6 STORIES HIGH.

FORSTER: IMAGINE LIFE THEN.
IMAGINE THE ODOR.

NARRATOR: 20,000 DEATHS
EACH YEAR WERE BLAMED

ON FLIES FEEDING
ON HORSE MANURE.

FORSTER: WITH THAT MANY HORSES
AND THE INABILITY TO REMOVE

WASTE FROM THE CITY, THEY HIT
A CRITICAL BREAKING POINT.

NARRATOR: ALL INDUSTRIALIZED
CITIES FACED A SIMILAR PROBLEM,

AND IN 1898, CITY PLANNERS
FROM ACROSS THE WORLD

DESCENDED ON NEW YORK
FOR A 10-DAY SYMPOSIUM

TO BRAINSTORM A SOLUTION.

THEY GAVE UP AFTER JUST 3.

IT WOULD TAKE A FARMER'S SON
FROM MICHIGAN TO SOLVE

THE HORSE MANURE CRISIS, A MAN
WHOSE NAME WOULD BECOME

SYNONYMOUS WITH
THE AUTO INDUSTRY--

HENRY FORD.

GERDES: I THINK IT TAKES
A HUGE LEAP TO LOOK AROUND AT

A WORLD WHERE ONLY THE WEALTHY
OWN AUTOMOBILES AND SAY,

"THIS COULD BE SOMETHING
THAT EVERYBODY HAS ACCESS TO."

TAKE THE HANDLE OUT
OF THE LEATHER THERE.

OK. YEAH.

GERDES: THE FAMILIAR TECHNOLOGY
THAT EVERYBODY KNEW WAS

THE HORSE, BUT AS
HENRY FORD PROVED,

THERE WERE MILLIONS
OF PEOPLE WHO COULDN'T WAIT

TO GIVE UP THAT TECHNOLOGY;
THEY JUST NEEDED SOMETHING

THAT THEY COULD AFFORD.

ALL RIGHT.

KEEP YOUR THUMB
INSIDE.

OK.
PUSH IN AND PULL UP.

THERE WE GO.

LENO: HENRY FORD WAS
A FARM KID

AND HE HATED FARM LIFE,

AND HE WENT TO THE CITY AND
HE WORKED FOR THOMAS EDISON.

NARRATOR: FORD HAD BEEN
FASCINATED WITH POCKET WATCHES

SINCE CHILDHOOD,
AND IT'S SAID HE BOUGHT ONE

WITH HIS FIRST PAYCHECK.

HE WAS SO SURPRISED
TO DISCOVER THAT IT WAS MADE

OF SUCH SIMPLE COMPONENTS, HE
SAW AN OPPORTUNITY

AND DREAMT UP A LOW-COST
WATCH-MAKING BUSINESS

THAT MASS-PRODUCED ITS PARTS.

LUCKILY FOR HUMANITY,
FORD'S FATHER FELL ILL,

AND SO HE RETURNED HOME
TO TEND TO THE FARM.

WHEN FORD ARRIVED BACK
IN THE CITY WEEKS LATER,

THE YOUNG ENTREPRENEUR HAD
ALREADY MOVED ON TO A NEW IDEA.

IN HIS SPARE TIME,
HE WOULD GET ALL THE MAGAZINES

OF THE PERIOD AND READ
ABOUT ALL THESE ENGINES.

AND HE BUILT HIS OWN ENGINE IN
THE KITCHEN SINK, AND IT WOULD

PUTT, PUTT, PUTT, PUTT, AND HE
WENT, "OH, WHY COULDN'T I
SCALE THIS UP?

AND HE BUILT A CAR IN HIS LITTLE
WORKSHOP BEHIND HIS HOUSE,

AND WHEN HE FINISHED THE CAR,
HE REALIZED THERE'S NO WAY

TO GET IT OUT OF HERE 'CAUSE
THE DOOR ISN'T WIDE ENOUGH.

SO HE KNOCKED THE WALL DOWN,
MUCH TO THE LANDLORD'S CHAGRIN,

HE GOT IT OUT, AND HE WENT
FOR A RIDE IN 1896.

NARRATOR: IT HAD TAKEN FORD
3 YEARS OF EXPERIMENTING

TO COMPLETE HIS QUADRACYCLE,
MOST OF IT AT NIGHT

AFTER HE'D FINISHED WORK
AT EDISON'S FACTORY.

IT HAD A TWO-CYLINDER,
ETHANOL-POWERED ENGINE

AND A TOP SPEED
OF 20 MILE AN HOUR.

IT WAS STILL AN EXPENSIVE TOY,

BUT IT WAS ENOUGH OF A SUCCESS
TO INTEREST INVESTORS

WHO SET UP FORD
WITH HIS OWN COMPANY

SO HE COULD PURSUE
A BIGGER AMBITION--

TO MAKE LOW-COST CARS THAT
THE AVERAGE JOE COULD AFFORD.

BUT HE REALIZED HE NEEDED
TO SIMPLIFY THE ENGINE

AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE.

[ENGINE TURNS OVER]

GERDES: ONE OF THE THINGS THAT'S
MOST STRIKING WHEN YOU OPEN

THE HOOD OF A MODEL T IS,
IN SOME WAYS, WHAT'S NOT THERE.

FORD WAS ABLE TO LOOK AT
THE INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE

AND FIGURE OUT WHAT YOU
COULD TAKE AWAY.

LENO: HERE'S THE BEAUTY
OF THE ENGINE--ANYTHING

THAT YOU DIDN'T NEED,
HENRY FORD GOT RID OF.

THERE'S NO WATER PUMP;
THE HOT WATER PUSHES

THE COLD WATER
THROUGH THE SYSTEM...

MM-HMM.
SO IT RUNS FINE.

YOU DON'T NEED
A WATER PUMP.

YOU DON'T NEED ANY
OF THAT STUFF.

YOU DON'T NEED
A FUEL PUMP BECAUSE

THE GAS IS HIGHER
THAN THE ENGINE, SO

GRAVITY FEEDS DOWN,
SO GET RID OF THAT.

HOW MUCH IS
A FUEL PUMP, $16?

GET RID OF THAT.
SAVE MONEY THERE.

HOW MUCH IS A WATER
PUMP, 60 BUCKS?

GET RID OF THAT.
SAVE MONEY THERE.

SO, SEE, IT'S
VERY SIMPLE.

NARRATOR: FORD'S SECOND
BREAKTHROUGH WAS

TO MASS-PRODUCE THE PARTS.

WHEREAS OTHER MANUFACTURERS
HANDMADE ONLY A FEW

HIGH-PRICED VEHICLES,

FORD GAMBLED
ON SELLING LOTS OF CARS.

IN 1909, THE MODEL T's
FIRST YEAR OF PRODUCTION,

HE SOLD OVER 10,000
AT $825 EACH--

THE EQUIVALENT
OF AROUND $18,000 TODAY.

IT WAS A PROMISING START,

BUT FORD HAD SET HIS SIGHTS
ON A MUCH BIGGER MARKET.

HE JUST NEEDED TO SPEED UP
THE MODEL T's PRODUCTION

AND SLASH ITS PRICE IN HALF.

THEREIN LAY
HIS BIGGEST CHALLENGE,

FOR, AS SIMPLE AS IT WAS,
BUILDING A MODEL T WAS STILL

A TIME-CONSUMING,
LABOR-INTENSIVE PROCESS.

THE SOLUTION WOULD BE FOUND
IN THE MOST UNLIKELY

AND UNSAVORY OF PLACES...

A SLAUGHTERHOUSE.

SHORTLY AFTER THE MODEL T
BEGAN TO SHIP,

ONE OF FORD'S SENIOR EMPLOYEES,

A MAN NAMED PA KLANN,

VISITED A CHICAGO
MEAT-PACKING PLANT.

HE SAW CARCASSES HUNG FROM
MOVING HOOKS IN THE CEILING.

EACH WORKER PERFORMED A VERY
SPECIFIC AND SPECIALIZED JOB

BEFORE PASSING THE CARCASS ON.

IT WAS A DISASSEMBLY LINE.

KLANN REALIZED THAT BY
REVERSING THE PROCESS

AND ADAPTING IT TO FACILITATE
THE PRODUCTION OF CARS,

THE MODEL T COULD BE
MADE MUCH FASTER.

FORD WAS CONVINCED
AND CREATED AN ASSEMBLY LINE

IN A NEW PURPOSE-BUILT FACTORY.

IT CUT $250 OFF
THE CAR'S PRICE...

AND BY 1913,
HE'D REFINED THE TIMINGS

FOR EACH STAGE
OF THE PROCESS ENOUGH

THAT HE COULD INSTALL
A MOVING CONVEYOR BELT,

SLASHING A FURTHER $50
OFF THE PRICE.

AT THE PEAK OF
THE MODEL T's PRODUCTION,

FORD WAS ASSEMBLING
150 CARS AN HOUR

AND SELLING THEM FOR LESS THAN
A THIRD OF THE ORIGINAL PRICE.

THIS SOLD FOR $260
BRAND-NEW,

WHEN A CADILLAC
WAS $4,000.

AND ONCE, OF COURSE,
THE MODEL T CAME OUT,

THEN ACCESSORY DEALERS:
"IMPROVE YOUR MODEL T.

GET MORE POWER,
THE OVERHEAD VALVE"--

YOU KNOW, A WHOLE
'NOTHER BUSINESS

GREW UP OUT OF THAT.

NARRATOR: THE AUTOMOBILE WAS NO
LONGER A RICH MAN'S PLAY-THING.

HENRY FORD HAD MADE IT POSSIBLE
FOR ANYONE TO OWN A CAR.

LENO: HENRY FORD MADE
16 MILLION OF THESE.

AND IF YOU MADE ONE
LITTLE PRODUCT THAT HE
COULD USE OR BUY--

GERDES: THAT WAS HUGE,
YEAH, AND AN INSTANT MARKET.

HE SOLD 16 MILLION
OF THEM, YOU KNOW,

SO IT REALLY WAS
A GAME-CHANGER.

NARRATOR: AND REMEMBER
THAT GREAT HORSE MANURE CRISIS?

BY 1912,

MANHATTAN'S FLY-INFESTED STREETS

HAD VIRTUALLY EMPTIED OF HORSES

AND FILLED UP WITH CARS.

GERDES: AND SUDDENLY,
THE ENTIRE WORLD AROUND US

CHANGED IN A WAY THAT I THINK
WOULD BE UNIMAGINABLE

TO THE VERY FEW

WHO COULD AFFORD
A MOTOR VEHICLE IN 1900.

HENRY FORD THINKS THIS
COULD BE SOMETHING

THAT EVERYBODY CAN OWN,
AND WHEN EVERYBODY OWNS THIS,

SUDDENLY OUR DEMANDS
OF THE WORLD BECOME DIFFERENT.

NOW, I WANT ROADS TO DRIVE ON.

I NEED A GARAGE TO PARK
MY CAR AT MY HOUSE.

I NEED A PLACE TO PARK IT
WHEN I GET TO WORK.

THE WHOLE WAY CITIES
WERE ENVISIONED

CHANGED FUNDAMENTALLY.

NARRATOR: THE CAR
HAS REVOLUTIONIZED

ALMOST EVERY ASPECT
OF OUR LIVES,

AND IT'S EVEN
RESHAPED OUR WORLD.

THE COMBUSTION ENGINE
HAS BEEN SO SUCCESSFUL

THAT IT'S CREATED
A NEW ENVIRONMENTAL CRISIS,

ONE THAT WE ARE ON
THE VERGE OF TACKLING,

THANKS TO TWO THINGS
YOU PROBABLY HAVE

IN YOUR DESK DRAWER.

TODAY, AUTOMOBILES EMIT
5.1 BILLION TONS

OF CARBON DIOXIDE EVERY YEAR.

IT'S PUSHED MANY
TO LOOK ONCE AGAIN

TO EDISON'S DREAM
OF THE ELECTRIC CAR.

WHILE BATTERY TECHNOLOGY
HAS IMPROVED MASSIVELY

SINCE EDISON'S DAY, IT STILL
FACES SOME FAMILIAR ISSUES.

RICHARD KANER:
CURRENT ELECTRIC VEHICLES USE

THE NEW LITHIUM ION BATTERIES,
AND THESE BATTERIES

HAVE A RANGE OF ABOUT 300 MILES.

HOWEVER, THEY TAKE HOURS
TO CHARGE, WHEREAS,

IF YOU'RE FILLING IT WITH GAS,
YOU SIMPLY GO INTO A GAS STATION

AND WITHIN A COUPLE MINUTES,
YOU'RE IN AND OUT.

AND SO WHAT WE REALLY NEED IS
A BATTERY THAT NOT ONLY GOES

A LONG DISTANCE, BUT THAT CAN
BE CHARGED VERY RAPIDLY.

NARRATOR: THE ANSWER IS
HIDDEN INSIDE A PENCIL.

KANER: THE SO-CALLED LEAD
IN PENCILS IS ESSENTIALLY

A FORM OF CARBON
CALLED GRAPHITE.

IT HAS A HONEYCOMB STRUCTURE,
AND IT'S LAYERED

SO EACH LAYER IS STACKED
ON TOP OF ANOTHER LAYER.

NARRATOR: INSIDE EVERY PENCIL,
BETWEEN EACH CARBON LAYER,

THERE IS A CLOUD OF ELECTRONS.

THIS GENERATES STATIC
ELECTRIC CHARGE,

AND THAT'S WHAT CAUSES
THE GRAPHITE TO STICK

TO THE PAPER WHEN YOU WRITE.

GRAPHITE ALSO HAS
AN EXCEPTIONAL CAPACITY

TO CONDUCT ELECTRICITY, BUT ONLY
IF YOU CAN GET IT DOWN

TO A SINGLE LAYER OF CARBON
CALLED GRAPHENE.

KANER: GRAPHENE HAS BEEN CALLED
"THE WONDER MATERIAL."

IT'S 200 TIMES STRONGER
THAN STEEL,

IT HAS A REMARKABLE ABILITY
TO CONDUCT ELECTRICITY,

AND IT HAS EXTREMELY
HIGH SURFACE AREA.

THIS GIVES IT SOME
INTERESTING APPLICATIONS,

AND ONE IS ENERGY STORAGE.

NARRATOR: BUT TO ACCESS
GRAPHENE'S AMAZING PROPERTIES

WOULD TAKE A ROLL
OF STICKY TAPE.

KANER: IN 2004, TWO PHYSICISTS
AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MANCHESTER

HAD THE IDEA OF TAKING PYROLYTIC
GRAPHITE AND SCOTCH TAPE,

AND THEY CONTINUED
TO PEEL BACK AND FORTH.

THE FIRST SAMPLES TOOK OVER
A MONTH TO PRODUCE,

BUT THEY EVENTUALLY PEELED
GRAPHITE DOWN TO A SINGLE LAYER,

SOMETHING THAT NO ONE
THOUGHT COULD BE DONE.

NARRATOR: THIS WAS
AN AMAZING BREAKTHROUGH,

BUT TO APPLY IT TO CARS

MEANT OVERCOMING
A BASIC PROBLEM.

KANER: IF WE'RE GOING
TO USE THIS FOR APPLICATIONS,

WE'RE GOING TO NEED
A LOT OF GRAPHENE,

AND PEELING GRAPHITE WITH STICKY
TAPE ISN'T GOING TO GET THERE,

SO THAT'S WHERE
CHEMISTRY COMES IN.

NARRATOR: RICHARD, ALONG WITH
Ph.D. STUDENT MAHER EL-KADY,

DISCOVERED THEY COULD USE
A SIMPLE LASER,

LIKE THE ONE IN
ANY DVD PLAYER,

TO TURN A THIN LAYER
OF GRAPHITE INTO GRAPHENE.

THEY THEN CREATED
DISTINCT PATTERNS IN IT

THAT THEY HOPED WOULD STORE
ELECTRICAL CHARGE.

EL-KADY: I CHARGED IT UP
FOR ONLY A COUPLE OF SECONDS...

AND IT WAS ABLE TO LIGHT UP
AN L.E.D. FOR OVER 5 MINUTES.

AT THAT POINT, I CALLED RICK
TO THE LAB AND I'M LIKE,

"COME TAKE A LOOK
AT THIS AMAZING EXPERIMENT."

KANER: IT'S THE BEST MOMENT
I THINK A SCIENTIST CAN HAVE,

BECAUSE YOU REALIZE YOU'VE DONE
SOMETHING IMPORTANT.

NARRATOR: GRAPHENE IS STRONG,
SO IT CAN BE BUILT

INTO THE CAR'S BODYWORK,
EFFECTIVELY TURNING

THE WHOLE VEHICLE
INTO A BATTERY.

KANER: GRAPHENE IS
A GAME-CHANGER.

YOU'LL BE ABLE TO CHARGE
YOUR CAR AS FAST AS YOU CAN

FILL UP WITH GASOLINE.

YOU'LL BE ABLE TO RUN
YOUR VEHICLE TENS OF THOUSANDS

OF TIMES, AND IN THE END,
GRAPHENE IS

A COMPOSTABLE MATERIAL, SO IT'S
ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY.

NARRATOR: IT'S ONLY A MATTER
OF TIME BEFORE GRAPHENE IS USED

TO POWER OUR AUTOMOBILES.

WHEN COMBINED WITH
THE LATEST BREAKTHROUGHS

IN AUTONOMOUS TECHNOLOGY,
WE WILL SOON HAVE ELECTRIC CARS

THAT DRIVE THEMSELVES BETTER
THAN THE BEST HUMANS

OVER FAR GREATER DISTANCES,

REVOLUTIONIZING
THE CAR ONCE AGAIN.

GERDES: IF I'M NOT STEERING,
IF I'M NOT DRIVING,

I WANT SOMETHING WHICH IS
GOING TO BE COMFORTABLE.

I WANT SOMETHING WHICH
IS GOING TO BE QUIET.

I WANT SOMETHING WHICH MAY
ALLOW ME TO BE EITHER PRODUCTIVE

OR COMPLETELY RELAXED,
DEPENDING UPON MY MOOD

AS I TAKE THIS TRIP.

WHEN THE CAR IS ACTUALLY BEING
DRIVEN BY A COMPUTER,

THERE'S LOTS OF THINGS
THAT WE DON'T NEED.

WE DON'T NEED A STEERING WHEEL.
WE DON'T NEED PEDALS.

WE DON'T NEED THIS SORT OF HUMAN
INTERFACE THAT WE HAVE TODAY AND

THEN WE CAN THINK OF THE ENTIRE
SHAPE OF THE CAR CHANGING.

PEOPLE COULD SIT IN DIFFERENT
DIRECTIONS, THEY COULD FACE EACH

OTHER, WE COULD HAVE INDIVIDUAL
PODS ASSEMBLED TOGETHER

THAT PEOPLE HAVE
THEIR OWN PERSONAL SPACE.

WE COULD HAVE DELIVERY VEHICLES
THAT HAVE NO ROOM

FOR HUMANS WHATSOEVER.

ALL OF THESE THINGS CAN CHANGE
ONCE THE VEHICLE IS AUTOMATED.

[TIRES SQUEAL]

NARRATOR: THE CAR IS
THE CULMINATION OF

A REMARKABLE JOURNEY,
STRETCHING BACK

THOUSANDS OF YEARS.

FROM THE LATEST BREAKTHROUGH
IN ELECTRICAL STORAGE

THAT STARTED WITH A LEAD PENCIL
AND SCOTCH TAPE;

HENRY FORD'S OBSESSION
WITH WATCHES;

AND AN ENCOUNTER
IN A CHICAGO SLAUGHTERHOUSE

THAT MADE IT POSSIBLE
FOR ANYONE TO OWN A CAR.

THE DARING
LONG-DISTANCE TEST DRIVE

AND SUBVERSIVE MARKETING
OF BERTHA BENZ

THAT MADE THE CAR
A VIABLE ALTERNATIVE

TO THE HORSE AND CART,

THE GLOBAL MANURE CRISIS
THAT ULTIMATELY BROUGHT ABOUT

THE END OF THE DOMINANCE
OF THE HORSE,

RIGHT BACK THROUGH
BACKFIRING CANNONS,

FLOODED 17th-CENTURY MINES,

THE BRONZE AGE CHISEL,
AND THE INVENTION OF THE AXLE

THAT MADE WHEEL
TRANSPORTATION POSSIBLE,

ALL THE WAY BACK 9,000 YEARS

TO THOSE EARLY ARCTIC SETTLERS,

WHO, IN THEIR STRUGGLE
FOR SURVIVAL,

DOMESTICATED WOLVES
TO PULL THEIR SLEDS

AND GAVE RISE TO THE FIRST
OVERLAND TRANSPORT.

WITHOUT THEM AND ALL
THEIR STORIES,

YOU'D NEVER HAVE THE CAR.

NARRATOR: NEXT TIME
ON "BREAKTHROUGH,"

THE STORY OF HOW WE
LEFT EARTH

IS NOT WHAT YOU MIGHT EXPECT.

IT WOULD TAKE
AN EXPLOSIVE EXORCISM

IN THE ANCIENT WORLD,

A LEAP IN TECHNOLOGIES
FOR FIGHTING FIRE,

MECHANIZATION OF DAIRY FARMS,

A PLOT TO KILL THE KING
OF ENGLAND,

TO CREATE A MACHINE
WITH THE POWER

TO BREAK FREE
FROM EARTH'S GRAVITY--

THE ROCKET.

TO ORDER "BREAKTHROUGH: THE
IDEAS THAT CHANGED THE WORLD"

ON DVD, VISIT shopPBS
OR CALL 1-800-PLAY-PBS.

THIS PROGRAM IS ALSO AVAILABLE
ON AMAZON PRIME VIDEO.

♪